Power agriculture equipment running on electricity has been known for a long time. There are two solutions for it. The first consists of permanently connecting the equipment to an electrical outlet for its power supply. The second is to provide the equipment with electricity accumulators, or batteries, to ensure its electrical autonomy. This disclosure relates in particular to power agriculture equipment operating according to this second solution.
Battery-operated power agriculture equipment presents various disadvantages, and is therefore less commonly used than thermal motor equipment. A first disadvantage is its limited power, which limits its possibilities for use in work requiring power, such as earth works. Among these disadvantages, it is also possible to cite in particular the problems of autonomy.
It should be noted that power hoes, or powered hoeing machines, are soil cultivation tools, which consequently require a relatively high power. Moreover, unlike other power agriculture equipment, power hoes generally do not have wheels independent of the tools. They are moved by rolling over the blades of the tools, which then rotate at reduced speed. It is obvious that this movement requires a much lower power than that needed for soil cultivation.
The battery or batteries powering the motor of the power agriculture equipment, and more specifically the motors of power hoes, which must provide a high power in order to cultivate the soil, must indeed provide a high power for a relatively long period in order for the user to be capable of working efficiently. The performance of batteries suitable for such a use decreases over time. Thus, a power hoe equipped with a suitable battery may offer the user good usage conditions in particular in terms of power supplied and duration of autonomy, when the battery or batteries are new. Wear of batteries leads to a decrease in their performance, and consequently has a detrimental effect on usage conditions.
Improper use of batteries substantially accelerates their decrease in performance. In some battery models used, such as, for example, lead batteries, nickel-metal-hydride batteries or lithium batteries, it is thus detrimental to fully discharge the battery, or even to reduce the voltage at its terminals below a certain level. To protect these batteries, the user must therefore monitor an indicator, generally visual, which indicates the charge level of the batteries. When the charge level falls below a critical level, the user must stop using the equipment and recharge the batteries.
However, it is common for the user to neglect to monitor the charge level of the batteries of the equipment and to continue to use the equipment until the batteries can no longer supply the energy necessary for operation of the motor. Such behavior is seriously detrimental to the performance and lifetime of batteries.
The user may also take into account the insufficient charge level of the batteries when he/she is far away from the current source that would enable the equipment batteries to be recharged. The user thus continues to use the equipment, and therefore continues to cultivate the soil along the patch until reaching the current source. This behavior is also detrimental to battery performance.
These problems associated with premature wear of batteries make the use of battery-operated power hoes less valuable. The constraints on power hoes make them less suitable for battery-operated use than other power agriculture equipment.